Park & garden
Marenghi Park and the Pertugio Spring
In 1785, Carlo Amoretti disappeared into the Pertugio cave while Volta stayed above gripping the rope. The spring they identified is still collected here—under a cover most people could walk straight past.
Why it is worth the detour
A spring with a surprisingly hands-on scientific backstory: in 1785, Carlo Amoretti descended into the Pertugio cave while Volta held the rope. Its water later supplied villas at San Maurizio and is still collected inside the park.
Marenghi Park is a hidden gem in Como, known for the Pertugio Spring, which has a unique scientific history. The spring's water was historically significant and is still collected in the park today.
The people behind this address
Documented connections, not celebrity trivia.
Alessandro Volta
He accompanied Carlo Amoretti's 1785 exploration and held the rope during the descent into the cave.
Carlo Amoretti
The mineralogist explored the cave and documented the excursion in a contemporary letter.
What else is close by
The nearest places we have written up, with straight-line distance from here.
350 m
Volta Lighthouse in Brunate
Lake Como lies roughly 500 metres below you; above you is a lighthouse named for Alessandro Volta. Brunate does enjoy the top-floor view.
400 m
Chalet Sonzogno
Turin, 1902: a wooden chalet is reportedly on display. Two years later, it resurfaces as third prize in a newspaper contest—fully furnished.
450 m
Church of Saint Andrew the Apostle
You arrive in Piazza alla Chiesa expecting one church and one façade. Saint Andrew’s has other ideas: repeated rebuilding and a twentieth-century enlargement left it with two public faces.
450 m
Campari Fountain
Someone looked at a village water source and thought: useful—but could it sell Campari too? The answer is standing in front of you.
450 m
Bellavista Hotel and Pencho Slaveykov Memorial
The funicular sends a new crowd up the hill, and the Bellavista opens its doors to catch the trade. Then a Bulgarian poet spends his final days here, giving this hotel frontage a second, more poignant life.
550 m
Villa Pirotta Bonacossa
A cotton magnate eyes an exceptionally steep Brunate hillside and decides it needs a miniature Versailles. Villa Pirotta Bonacossa is what happens when industrial wealth, artistic ambition, and gravity all refuse to back down.
Walk it with the stories
This address is one stop among many. Our routes and quests link them into a walk that makes sense on the ground.